Capoiera Workshop & Batman Alley

Capoeira:

During our first day in Sao Paulo, we had the opportunity to experience some Brazilian culture. We learned about Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and music. Each of us learned some of the dance moves, including ‘Ginga, Ginga’ and ‘Au.’ Ginga Ginga is a movement of arms and legs swinging back and forth, and Au is like a cartwheel. After we learned some of their dance moves, they performed an amazing show for us. Their show included the usage of atabaque, which is basically like hand drums, and berimbau. They also performed many cartwheels and flips, and finished off by sliding across the floor on their heads!

Batman Alley:

Later in the day, we took a tour of Batman Alley. Batman Alley is a lengthy stretch of high-walled residences in Vila Madalena, it showcases some of the most impressive spray paint murals around. The neighborhood was filled with art galleries, street vendors, food, drinks, musicians, and people. The art and the neighborhood was amazing, I have never seen anything like it before.